Effective damping of local low frequency oscillations in power systems integrated with bulk PV generation

High penetration of renewable sources into conventional power systems results in reduction of system inertia and noticeable low-frequency oscillations (LFOs) in the rotor speed of synchronous generators. In this paper, we propose effective damping of LFOs by incorporating a supplementary damping controller with a photovoltaic (PV) generating station, where the parameters of this controller are coordinated optimally with those of a power system stabilizer (PSS). The proposed method is applied to damp local electromechanical modes by studying a system comprising a synchronous generator and a PV station connected to an infinite bus. The PV station is modeled following the instructions of the Western Electricity Coordinating Council. The problem is modeled as an optimization problem, where the damping ratio of the electromechanical modes is designed as the objective function. Constraints including upper and lower limits of decision parameters and damping ratio of other modes are considered by imposing penalties on the objective function. Different optimization algorithms are used to pursue the optimal design, such as political, improved gray wolves and equilibrium optimizers. The results validate the effectiveness of the proposed controller with PSS in damping local modes of oscillations.